Vintage shots from days gone by!

My bet is that it is a '37.

 

A neat shot, lot's of nice '68 Chevy's, and some older stock, including '68 442, ''62 Impala, and amazed how the old 5000 - 6000 series meduim duty trucks still looked when I worked at a GM dealer in Edmonton, from '78 - '82. Photo #19260.

 

These may have been posted before, but here are some 1939 era films of traffic in Portland, OR - it's a miracle more people weren't injured just going about their daily business (there are ads, you need to be patient).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8jntU0MOJM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PO6UasmKwk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipcO1lzs_Fs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJJmwdDSwWk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CIC5Ccqjt4

There are 11 videos total, go here to see them all:
http://www.youtube.com/user/danhaneckow/videos

 

mother and child, dressed in traditional clothing, sit on the ground amid rubble and brunt trees, Hiroshima, Japan, December 1945.

 

In 1968, while stationed at Ft. Monmouth, NJ, three of us GIs chipped in a total of $50 to buy a late '50's version of the 500, complete with frog-eyed headlights and pull-back soft top.
500 cc vertical twin. The head gasket was blown in a narrow spot between the two cylinders, so it was an easy fix. It was a great vehicle to take to the beach.
When it finally blew up I gave it to a local farmer, who cut the roof pillars off and made it into a trailer.

 

Sad, but what a GREAT idea... a ready made teardrop! Got lights, got good doors that lock and tight seals, got fenders, got sun roof, etc. Gary

Forgot to add: I was at Ft. Monmouth Jan-Mar 68, too, learning how to be a photo lab tech. Small world...

 

Photos in post #45646-#45651 are all of Louisville, Ky. Cooke Pontiac was downtown Louisville, Brown-Foreman Distilleries also, The Drug Store was on Bardstown Rd., and Oertel's Brewing Co. was downtown in the east end. Friend of mine's dad worked at Oertel's. They made some of the worst tasting beer in America. Probably why they are no longer in business.

 

Oertel's '92.

 

We still have to service the batteries on our electric forklift and because the battery pack is very expensive, I do insist that my guys use distilled water.

Under those use and cost conditions, I would too.

 

Definitely not Susan Dey.

 

Few more from Vinnyvrg on flickr


1939 1940 Ford 1940 Desoto Convertible 1950 Austin J40 pedal car


Supertest Service Station Stratford Ontario Canada with a 1931 Plymouth Coupe


1933 Ford V8 Standard Tudor ( 2 Door Sedan ) wrecked.
Photographed at the Shell service station operated by my Father in the late 1930's. His 23 1/2 towing service kept him busy with the endless supply of inexperienced drivers, poor roads and impaired driving. Many totals were brought in as the railways main line was only a few hundred yards from his garage. In those days the tow truck driver pulled not only the car from the ditch but the drivers remains as well if they were still in the car.


1937 Ford Slantback Tudor wrecked w/ 1927 Chrysler


1935 Ford Coupe in the trunk


1935 Ford 3 Window Coupe


1940 Willys Customized front view.
This photo was taken in Stratford Ontario in 1954. It shows a custom built car that my Father and his men built as a fill in project at his local auto wreckers. For the complete driveline, chassis and suspension they used a 1940 Willys. It was because of this base that it maintained its Willys ownership and licensing tag as well as the W insignias on the hubcaps, header etc. At this point it stopped being a Willys. The most important body item was the cowl, dash, firewall, a-pilliars and the windshield and all trim items for this major portion of the project. This complete assembly was taken from saddly to admit a 1940 Mercury 4 door convertible. This donor Merc also supplied the hood and doors. The sides of the hood where trimmed and the doors were cut and mounted in a suicide enter position. The front fenders and the header panel where donated from a 1940 Hudson. The rear 1/4's behind the doors and the rear fenders back too and including the taillamps were from a 1951 Chevrolet 2 door. The inner extensions of the rear fenders to complete the continental frame work were 1951 Chev 4 door 1/4's in reverse to side. For the trunk lid and bumpers I can not remember what was used. This project was a lot of fitting and welding of assorted parts and used a great deal of body soldier to complete. The cost to build was minor as all the parts were taken from cars in the wrecking yard. The car was sold into London Ontario and its history or where abouts after that is not known.


1940 Willys Customized top view


1940 Willys back view.


1951 Ford Deluxe Sedan


1941 Ford Deluxe Tudor Sedan


1956 Ford Fairlane Victoria Hardtop Customized.
This customized 1956 Ford Fairlane Victoria was photographed at the Cayuga Drags in Ontario Canada on August 3rd 1959. Extended 1/4 panels to accommodate the continental, 1956 Buick Roadmaster taillamps, shaved door handles, cruiser skirts and pinstipping are items that were all the rage of the 50's custom cruisers. History of this great Canadian Custom or if it stills exists in not known by the writer. The car club plaque indicates the owner is a member of the Road Runners Hamilton.


1932 Ford Model B Tudor rear view
This 32 Ford was owned by the writer during the late 60s. Photo taken in Guelph Ontario in 1968.


1920 Homemade Early Hot Rod
(looks more of a cyclecar to me.. Mart)


This was the second 1935 Ford 3 Window coupe I owned in my teen years. Purchased out of a barn it was a scruffy car and required some rust repairs as well as finding replacement items such as bumpers, lamps, glass etc. Originally a trunk model I found the hardware that was needed to reverse the hinges to make it a rumble seat coupe. Installed the complete axle and wishbone assemblies from a 1940 Ford which gave me hydraulic brakes as well the shocks where converted to modern style tube type. The engine was from a 1953 Cadillac 331 cu in with a full rebuild and a moderate cam and solid lifters. Dual exhaust and a Holley 4 barrel finished the drive train. Never did paint it just put it all in primer as that was common to do then. It was a fun and fast car in the 60's and it made many a trip from Stratford Ontario to Buffalo New York for good time weekends. Sold it to get on with my career and never did know what happened to it. Anyway, didn't want to use up all 9 lives on one car.


A typical small city dealership of the 1950's this Mercury Lincoln Meteor Canadian sales and service facility offered the complete package for a new car buyer. Haight Motors in Stratford Ontario was located on Erie Street and operated until the early 60's. The building was for about a decade after that the local CTC outlet and then was demolished to make room for additional downtown parking. There is some interesting vehicles shown, lined up in a row is 3 new 1958 Meteor cars, a Niagara Country Sedan Wagon and two other new Meteor Sedans. In the showroom there appears to be a Rideau 500 Hardtop. A new 1958 Mercury Pickup truck sits near the far service entrance. On the far side of the street is an early 50's Austin Devon with a two tone 1951 Monarch sedan in front of it. Closest to the camera is a plain jane 1955 Ford Mainline tudor which has an aftermarket Fairlane style moulding kit and a three tone paint job to give the appearance of an upscale model. In front of this is a 1950 Meteor Deluxe sedan and a 54 Plymouth Savoy sedan.


1933 Ford 5 Window Coupe in Ontario Canada in 1940.Shown in two tone paint with my Mother standing beside.


This 1952 Merc Monterey was purchased new by my parents and was our family car for 2 years after that. A vehicle with new for 52 exceptional styling and sound engineering it was a very comfortable and upscale automobile for its time. Powered by the largest ever Flathead Ford engine it produced 125 HP with its 4 stroke crankshaft giving 255 cu.in. of displacement. This car had the Merc-O-Matic automatic transmission and even with the addition of dual exhaust, Dad could only tweak 87 MPH top speed from this family sedan. Finished in Blue Metallic it is one of only approx. 30000 built that year as new car production was affected by the Korean War. This photo shows my Mother behind the wheel as they leave the snowy winter of Stratford Ontario and head out for a vacation in Florida during the winter of 52/53.


A 1940 Desoto Custom Convertible. The driver is my Dad and the photo was taken in 1950 in front of his shop in Stratford Ontario. Parked beside it just barely visibile is my cousins 39 Ford Convertible.


This picture shows my father sitting on the beach in Ipperwash Ontario in 1940. Behind him is his 1935 Ford Deluxe 3 Window Coupe. This 3 window has no rumble seat which was not common on the Deluxe 3 and 5 window models. It has been two toned and whitewall tires added. The additional spare was a common item when travelling on secondary roads of the time. Must have been a hot summer day as the windshield is cranked fully open for a fresh lake breeze.



All captions and comments are from Vinnyvrg on flickr.
Mart.

 

nice collection of photos Mart....interesting history...I wonder where all my old cars are...thanks

 

A few more:


Still on the "hook" this then new 1949 Mercury Sedan is heading into my Father's body shop for restoration and rebuild from an insurance write off to be returned to the road for further service. As the frontal frame damage was substanial a new frame replacement can be seen tied down to the top of the wrecker. Other front end sheet metal is visible piled in the wreckers box as well as tied over the new frame. Photo was taken in the winter of 48/49 at 590 Ontario Street in Stratford Ontario Canada.


This is the nearly new 1949 Mercury Sedan after having been repaired from heavy frontal collision damage while still a current year automobile. The damaged car before repairs can be seen in my photostream on the back of the 47 Dodge Tow Truck. Photo taken at Easter in Thorold Ontario Canada. That's me the little one with no Easter basket apparently.


This photo taken in 1938 shows my Father and his Brother's Shell Service Station with new signage from the previous posted picture. The gas delivery truck is unloading fuel to the tanks located very close to the Kings Highway number 7 in the village of Shakespeare Ontario. I think the gas truck is an early 30's Graham or Durant.


This photo was taken in Shakespeare Ontario Canada in 1938. It shows an 8 year old LaSalle Coupe altered to be put into service as a tow truck for my Fathers garage business. As rare as these are today at the time big cars like this had little appeal to the average buyer. They were heavy to drive and expensive to maintain and fuel. Their great torque gave them more appeal as a work horse and many ended up doing duty on the farm or as make shift commercial vehicles like shown here. After serving in their latter capacity they had further appeal for scrap during the War drive for steel. The vehicle on the hook is a 1931 Chevrolet Roadster that was repaired and returned to the road. The military wheels were an option however few today use them as they lack the appearance that the standard spoke wheels gave.


This 31 Chevy Roadster was a rebuild from an accident involved car. After mostly upper frontal repairs and parts replacement it was sold out of my Fathers Garage in 1939 in Shakespeare Ontario. For a picture of it damaged check out my 1930 LaSalle converted Tow Truck.

My wife and I bought this nice old rust free 32 shortly after we were married. It was a true barn find and it was decent enough that we drove it home that spring evening in 1968 after we purchased it. The brake rods, pins, yokes etc needed replacing and adjusting. I made a new wiring harness and the steering box required repairs. A tuneup and serious engine and interior cleaning and it was ready to drive. The original owner whom I purchased it from had brush painted it and my wife and I scrapped it all off with razor blades. It was then resprayed in its original Brewster green with black fenders. Not a V8 it was a model B 4 cylinder and liked to be driven all day at 47 MPH. As newly weds we had a lot of fun cruising to the Great Lakes on weekends in this neat old car. It was sold eventually and we obtained enough money for it to make a down payment on our first home.


This great 35 Ford Coupe was my first car. Purchased from an auto wreckers as a complete original vehicle. It was driven by the first owner for 21 years and then after leaving water in the engine during a freeze and cracking the block it was sold for scrap. I replaced the old engine with a 40 Mercury flathead with aluminum heads and dual exhaust. The running boards were removed and the fender ends bobbed. The rear spare tire and bumpers were shaved off and 48 pontiac taillamps added all in keeping with the fashion of the day. After two years and a lot of learning it was finally painted in a new for 1960 Ford Lilac Metallic. The car still exists today in Eastern Ontario and is now black with a 283 Chev and the body returned to original. As a car guy it is always our first car we have a soft spot for and this was a great one and it is nice to know it is still out there. This photo enjoys the neighbours laundry hanging out, not a backdrop you see everyday now, but at least green friendly.


A nice 37 Ford Club Cabriolet series 78 with a rumble seat and optional seal beam update kits. That is my Mother driving and I am standing behind her with my brother in the rumble seat. Picture taken about 1948 in Stratford Ontario Canada.


This car was one of my fathers many second cars when I was a young lad. That's me in the 1948 Austin Pathfinder pedal car. This rare SC Roadster Deluxe was in very excellent condition. I do know he changed the wheel rims to a slightly newer model year style. The car was sold in Ontario Canada and was a subject of extensive restoration in later years here in Canada. It now lives a pampered life in the United States. This photo was taken in Stratford Ontario Canada in 1950 or 51.


1933 Ford 3 Window V8 Coupe. This picture was taken in Ontario Canada in 1940. It shows my Mother, she was the original ZZ Top Wild Thang, Rollin' down the road in some blue steel, she would do anything to slide behind the wheel. Notice that the license plate is the next in sequence to the 3/4 view of the 38 Dodge Sedan in my photostream.


This photo shows our familys 39 Mercury from the rear after its mild custom job in 1953. It has had the rear fenders moulded to the body. Pontiac taillamps and rear bumper are added as is a Continental spare tire. The rear suspension was lowered as well.


Shown here is our 39 Mercury after a mild custom and repaint in Bright Yellow. Some of the side mouldings were shaved, running boards removed, a Buick gunshot hood ornament, seal beam lights and bumper over riders. Hubcaps are from a post war Canadian Mercury Monarch.


Built in 1954/55 this Henry J Convertible was a rebuild of a nearly new 1953 Henry J Coach that had serious top damage when it was rolled over. The top, rear deck and windshield frame where removed. The door tops and quarter panel front tops were cut down to match the original Darrin dip body creases and then rolled inward. Windshield dog legs were added to allow for the use of the popular wrap around windshield from a 1955 Chevrolet. The rear deck and trunk lid was fabricated by fitting a Ford Model A coupe deck in reverse to make the correct contour match the quarter sides. Side trim was hand formed using stainless trim and styled to look similar to the 55 Ford Fairlane. The quarter scoop ornaments are from a 1951 Packard. It made a great looking convertible and it lost that studgy appearance that the regular 2 door fastback coach showed. The engine was replaced with a 1950 Studebaker 246 cid 6 cylinder. With no side windows or roof the car was protected from the rain with a fitted tonneau cover so it may be fair to call it a Roadster and not a Convertible


A Canadian Made 1938 Dodge Custom Sedan. Built in Canada this Dodge utilized a Dodge and Plymouth combination of parts to offer a upscaled Plymouth based model for the Chrysler dealerships in Canada. This photo taken in Cochrane Ontario in 1940 and shows my Parents as well as my Paternal Grandfather. They were on a visit to my Dad's boyhood home in Island Falls on the Abitibi River.


This 1938 Dodge Sedan is a Canadian made D10 model for sale by Chrysler dealers. Shown here outside Shakespeare Ontario in 1939, It is demonstrating its quality features on heat and traction comfort. With its winter grille cover it is ready for our cold climate. Purchased new by my father this was my parents honeymoon car in the summer of '39.


This 1950 Meteor Deluxe Fordor was a made in Canada only model. Very similar to the more common Ford it had trim changes and utilized a grille similar to the Mercury of that year. Available from the Canadian Mercury - Lincoln dealers only, it was to give their dealer network a car to compete with the Ford dealers. Purchased new by my father it had many of the accessory options available at the time. This car had a unique to Meteor only belt line stainless trim to separate the two-tone light brown bottom and beige top. This photo was taken at Wasaga Beach, Ontario in 1950.

I think you have to agree.. A great assortment of interesting pics.
Mart.

 

A few from Australia:
































Racing Cars Near Albury 1938 Wirlinga Circuit - No. 3 Tim Joshua's Frazer Nash TT Replica, No. 4 Hope Bartlett's MG Q Type and No. 6 Jack Phillip's Ford V8 Special.

All above from FotoSupplies on Flickr.

Mart.

 

Mart, thanks for posting these great Ontario pics.

 

That is very reminiscent of my Dad's '40 Mercury. He bought it in '68. The original owner (pictured) painted the car from dark blue to yellow before she drove it off the lot. The running boards were removed after this photo was taken.

 

thank you very much for the Australian stuff Mart;
Albury is on the border so plates can be seen in yellow NSW or black Vic. - and I suspect the DC-2 is being turned around to finish racing to Melbourne (from London) after the town had turned out to illuminate an emergency landing strip in the middle of the night. It still came 2nd ( to the purpose-built DH Comet ) despite having got lost after Sydney and having carried passengers.

 

Keep those great shots comming !!!!!!!!!!!!! scrubba

 

Inside the Diamond T truck factory. Chicago 1946.

 

Interesting. We drove then like the Chinese drive now.

 

You mean like the Chinese in China or the Chinese in L.A.

 

That's a rare one - it's a Gannet, made by Wackett for the Royal Australian Air Force. This particular one, serial A14-5, was wrecked in a nonfatal accident in 1942. One of its engine data plates was saved; see the story here.

 

Here are a few from the 1940's.


Virgil Simpson, Circa 1946; Clovis, New Mexico


These lovelies are identified on the back as Ima Jean Nix and Lawonda Brown


Whoops! Amsterdam, April 1946


Evelyn Baker On The Family Farm; Oregon, Circa 1947


1940's- Egypt


Automobile accident in front of Hotel Shawmut at 516 O’Farrell Street, near Jones Street. San Francisco.


Bright and Shiny.


Spic and Span.


Scooter Heaven


Lou Despot on an Indian Motorcycle, Bristol, Pa., 1945.


Getting In.


Dan Caslinga 5 - 9 - 48.


Olive McGraw, San Francisco, Oct. 1949 (Cliff House)


Nairobi


Oct 18 1945.


77 Tyndall Field, Florida WWII.


Biarritz 1948


Bruin Inn, Going Up To Pike's Peak; June 15, 1949.


Pike's Peak Summit Train; Colorado, June 15, 1949.


Whoops!

All above pics from various contributors on Flickr.

Mart.